Our Story
by Alex Frankie
Summary: Belle regains her memory
1. Chapter 1

"Belle." Rumplestiltskin said as he looked at his poor Belle lying dischevelled in her hospital bed.

She looked up at him and it broke his heart to see the confusion still living in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Why do you insist on calling me Belle? I don't know who this Belle is but she's certainly not me." She said, looking down at the sheets again and hugging her knees close to her chest. Rumplestiltskin looked down at his feet before answering.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so used to knowing you as Belle." "My Belle." He added uncertainly; glancing back at her face that now looked back at him with a stony expression.

"Sorry. May I still call you Belle? Please, it would really mean a lot to me."

Belle sighed before saying reluctantly, "Yes. If you do insist I'm this Belle girl then go ahead. She clearly means a lot to you."

"Thank you." he said, smiling weakly. "May I?" He added, pointing at the chair next to her bed with his cane.

"Go ahead." She replied, subconsciously inching a little further away from the side of the bed where the chair was situated.

Rumplestiltskin approached cautiously and sat down.

"What was it you wanted?" Belle asked immediately, not allowing him any time to try and sweet talk her again; it was beginning to scare her.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing. I wanted to talk to you." He added the word sweetheart in his head but refrained from saying it aloud. There would be plenty of time for terms of endearment when she had her memories back. Snow had warned him not to say anything that might scare her too much when in desperation he had gone to her for help in getting his love back. Of course he had had to make a mild threat that dear Henry would be in danger of some lost limbs if she refused but he had got the help he needed.

She did not understand at first why he was delaying his search for his song to get Belle's memories back. She pointed out that Belle would of course still be there when he got back and that she would be safe. This was the point at which he had lost it and yelled that by the time he got back she could be safe in the arms of another man.

It was his biggest fear. He knew that he never deserved Belle in the first place and this was the perfect oppertunity for her to find someone worthy. He'd be damned if he was going to let that happen though. He'd already lost her and he was not going to lose her to another man also.

"Well I'm doing fine." Belle said, pulling Rumplestiltskin out of his thoughts and back to the situation at hand.

"Good... good." He muttered, unable to think of anything else to say to banish the silence.

Plucking up courage he didn't know he possessed, Rumplestiltskin blurted out, "I wanted to tell you our story."

"We don't _have _a story. I don't know you!"

"Please. Please. Just let me speak. At least let me tell you it. Even if by the end you still think I'm crazy at least I will have given it a go."

"Fine." Belle said and allowed herself to relax a little, laying down under the thin hospital sheets.

"I brought something along that will help tell the story. It might even help you remember." He said as he reached into an inside pocket of his suit and produced a small porcelain tea up, chipped on one side.

He passed it to Belle. "Here, you can hold it if you like."

She takes it warily. "It's... a cup?" She said, her voice full of questions.

"Of dearie, it's so much more than that." And with this he began the tale.


	2. Chapter 2

"Back in our world my name is Rumplestiltskin. Also known as The Dark One but right now you don't need to know why that is." He gave Belle a weak smile, one that she did not return.

"Your name there is Belle, your people were being terrorised by the Ogres and so your father summoned me and asked me to get rid of them. My price for this was that you would come and live with me in my Castle and be my housekeeper. I don't know why I wanted you at the time but you guessed later on; I was lonely. The second day you were with me you accidentally chipped a cup of mine, that one in your hand. You were so scared you would anger me." He laughed quietly at the memory before carrying on. "The fact that you were so scared made me think about the way I was treating you, from then on I tried to be nicer to you. One day you were trying to open my curtains and you fell from the ladder you were on. I caught you, it was then when I was looking into your eyes that I realised I had feelings for you. I never acted on them of course. I was a hideous, horrible beast and you a beautiful young woman. I knew you deserved better so I let you go, told you to fetch me some straw knowing that you would never come back to me. You did though Belle, you came back and you kissed me because you also had feelings for me. I didn't know this at the time; I thought it was a trick that The Evil Queen Regina was playing on me so I shouted at you, I pushed you away and told you to leave." Rumplestiltskin's voice cracked as he said these last words and he took a minute to compose himself before going on. "It was the worst mistake of my life Belle. Regina came to me weeks later telling me that your father had tortured you for falling in love with a monster like me. She told me you had killed yourself Belle. The curse came and I forgot about you for a while, until my memories awakened and I remembered everything. It was so hard, knowing that you were dead. All I had to remember you by was this little broken cup." He reached out and took it gently from her, cradling it in his hands. "Oh Belle, please remember me." At this he couldn't control the emotion coursing through him and he let the tears flow freely.

Belle looked at the weeping man in front of her, she didn't know what made her do it but she leaned over, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. It took Rumplestiltskin by surprise but he kissed her back, fiercely.

They finally broke apart and when they did, Belle's eyes widened in shock. "Rumplestiltskin!" She exclaimed. "Oh Rumple! How could I have forgotten you?"

"Belle? You really remember me. Oh Belle, sweet Belle. Never do that to me again, you hear me? It was so hard looking at you and not seeing the recognition in your eyes. I love you Belle."

"I do Rumple I do, of course I remember you. I'm never going near the town line ever again! I love you too Rum, I love you too."


End file.
